The fourth Asia Bike exhibition welcomed visitors to another successful show this past weekend. A total of 487 brands exhibited the latest in cycling technology at Nanjing’s International Expo and Conference Center, with 82 percent of participating companies hailing from overseas.
What began as the first professional trade show on the sports bike market in China, has now grown to become an important appointment on the industry’s annual calendar. Stefan Reisinger, Head of Eurobike, oversea’s equivalent and sister show to Asia Bike, says he is very pleased with the development of the event over the past years. “The show has grown roughly 30 percent from 2013 to 2014, but this is just the beginning as the potential for the market is incredibly vast. The annual market growth rate currently lies between 25 and 30 percent, and this of course great for our show.”
The speed at which the show is developing is reflective of that trend. This year the indoor exhibition spanned 38,000 sq m compared with 26,000 the previous year. “The exhibition filled one hall in 2012, two in 2013 and this year we have a total of three halls full exhibits, this is a great indication of how the show has been growing,” Reisinger recalls.
However, the show is not only expanding in size, the nature of exhibitors is changing as well according to Reisinger. “The show already worlks very well for Western brands interested in entering the Chinese market; this year though we are seeing an increasing number of local brands joining the show. Especially for small manufacturers based in China, the show is becoming an important vehicle to meet customers.”
A main reason for Asia Bike’s increasing success is the great job it does at bringing supply and demand together, especially due to the nature of visitors to the show.
Taylor Price, China GM for bike giant Specialized, explains why Asia Bike ranks high on his list of must visit events. “I prefer Nanjing to bigger shows that are just at bit random in terms of their audience. With those shows for the masses it’s just about who has the loudest booth and the prettiest girls but here at Nanjing the quality of people that come is a lot higher. Also, I especially enjoy the Demo Day, where people can actually test the bikes instead of just staring at them; this sets Asia Bike apart from other shows.”
The Demo Day was held on 8th October, as prelude to the exhibition, at Nanjing Sports Park in Purple Mountain. For an entire day, bike enthusiasts got to take some of the most modern, funky and expensive bikes of the industry out on a spree on either an on-road and off-road track. The heavens were smiling down at the cyclists with weather that could not have been better. Blue skys, brilliant sunshine and the beautiful scenery at the foot of the mountain provided a great backdrop for the event.
Finally, one brand managed to sneak into the show without actually being an exhibitor. China’s outdoor gear and wear mogul Kailas was hard to ignore as a considerable number of visitors sported their latest stroke of fashion brilliance, the ‘fresh air only” T-shirt displaying a gas mask wearing head and the Chinese characters 我要新鲜空气 (I want fresh air). It seems the bold and ironic statement has hit home with the outdoor community, after all, when it comes to cycling, fresh air is what it’s all about.
